Item number: A791

Year: AD 1094-1098

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.1 x 23.2 x 0.6 mm

Weight: 1.9 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a “Shaosheng Yuanbao” coin minted under the reign of Emperor Zhezong, the seventh emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, using his second era name. Emperor Zhezong reigned for 15 years and adopted a total of three era names during his rule.

The coin has the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the characters “Shaosheng Yuanbao” are inscribed in seal script in a clockwise order. The reverse side of the coin is blank, without any inscriptions or designs, but shows significant signs of wear and erosion.

This coin weighs only 1.9 g, which is lighter than the commonly observed standard range of 2.2 to 5 g, suggesting that it may be a privately minted version.

The Shaosheng Yuanbao was minted during the Shaosheng era (AD 1094–AD 1098) of Emperor Zhezong’s reign in the Northern Song Dynasty. During this period, other coins such as Shaosheng Tongbao and Shaosheng Chongbao were also minted, made from both copper and iron.

The Shaosheng Yuanbao and Shaosheng Tongbao coins were the main currencies of the time, with the Yuanbao coins being more prevalent. The Shaosheng Yuanbao coins came in denominations ranging from one-cash coins to five-cash coins, and the inscriptions were produced in three script styles: seal script, clerical script, and running script. The Shaosheng Tongbao coins were primarily issued as one-cash coins, with their inscriptions mainly in regular script.

During the Song Dynasty, in addition to bronze coins, one notable feature was the widespread circulation of iron coins, a phenomenon rarely seen in other dynasties. This practise arose primarily for two reasons: first, the domestic shortage of copper resources; and second, the need to prevent copper coins from flowing into the hands of northern rival states, such as the Western Xia, Liao, and Jin. As a result, the Song court initially began minting iron coins, and later introduced early forms of paper money, such as Jiaozi and Huizi, as alternative currency.

物件編號: A791

年代: 公元 1094-1098 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.1 x 23.2 x 0.6 mm

重量: 1.9 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是北宋的第七位皇帝宋哲宗，以其使用的第二個年號鑄造的「紹聖元寶」。宋哲宗在位15年，先後使用過三個年號。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢。錢幣正面按順時針順序，依序以篆書書法鐫刻漢字「紹聖元寶」四字。錢幣背面為光背，沒有任何文字或圖案，但有嚴重磨蝕的痕跡。這枚錢幣重量僅有1.9克，小於標準常見的2.2至5克，故可能是民間私鑄的版本。

紹聖元寶鑄造於北宋哲宗紹聖年間(公元1094-1098年)，此時尚鑄有紹聖通寶、紹聖重寶等錢，材質有銅和鐵兩種。

紹聖元寶和紹聖通寶則為當時主要通貨，又以元寶錢為多。紹聖元寶的面額從小平錢到折五錢皆有，幣面文字有篆書、隸書和行書三種；紹聖通寶的面額主要為小平錢，幣面文字主要為楷書。

兩宋時期的錢幣以青銅為材料外，其特色尚有大規模的鐵幣流通，為其他朝代少見的現象。之所以如此，一來是國內的銅礦資源缺乏；二來是防止銅錢流入競爭對手，諸如西夏、遼和金等北方政權，使得兩宋朝廷先是鑄造鐵錢，後來更出現紙幣雛形的「交子、會子」作為貨幣。